1 Now when the wall was rebuilt and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed, 2 then I put Hanani my brother, and Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.
3 Then I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot, and while they are standing guard, let them shut and bolt the doors. Also appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his own house.” 4 Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few and the houses were not built.
Nehemiah 7:1-4 (NASB)
Next steps
Now that the walls were finished and the gates were set up, gatekeepers were put in place to guard the gates. Singers and Levites (who normally took care of the temple) were appointed. “The singers and the Levites were there to lead the people in worship; the walls were not rebuilt so the people of Jerusalem could look at nice walls. They were rebuilt so they could worship God with greater glory and freedom than ever before.” (enduringword.com)
Establish leadership
Yes, the “heavy lifting” was complete but there was still work to do – guard the walls, guard the city. Nehemiah identified trusted men (one, his brother) to take charge of Jerusalem. Notice that he didn’t hold onto power; there were others quite capable to do this so he entrusted them with the responsibility – another sign of a good leader.
On guard
The walls of protection were now in place and they provided a certain level of protection. But if they weren’t guarded and the gates secured, the enemy could still enter. So Nehemiah gave specific instructions to address this – people to watch the walls and gates as well as specific times to open the gates. He even had them keep the gates locked until someone needed to enter or leave.
There is an obvious spiritual application – when there is spiritual victory (like a deliverance), it needs to be protected. We can’t just say, “Yay, I’m delivered! I’m free!” then go our way. Guards should be put in place to keep watch and protect it. That will involve others in our lives.
Need more people
Knowing that the city was quite spacious and not populated, it needed to be populated – which leads to tomorrow’s passage.
Amen. I found the “On Guard” section very practical; Though we may be “delivered” from particular sins that were once habitual, we still need to be on guard and protect ourselves from falling back into them. Accountability from others is definitely essential!
Thanks John. You may like today’s post as well.